From My Wedding to Yours

This past September, I attended my hubby's cousin's wedding and reception. One of the neatest parts of the wedding couple's reception was the lack of traditional wedding cake. You see, the groom isn't a big cake fan - but he loves pie. So rather than a four-tier wedding cake, there were tables all together in an L-shaped loaded down with pie, pie, and more pie! Cherry, apple, and pecan. Chocolate pudding, coconut cream, and banana cream. And of course, absolutely delicious cheesecake. There was a huge selection to choose from - and many of us sampled more than one! The table was beautifully decorated, too. A beautiful black linen draped the tables with white twinkling Christmas lights around the sides and on top. Then the pies were on stands of all different heights, creating a beautiful presentation. The couple's pie had a wedding topper. Hint: To keep the topper from sinking, add a support stand with legs to go into the pie, then place the topper on the stand. If...

Planning a bridal shower in the winter for your soon-to-be bride is simple and quite affordable. Here's one fun idea. The theme for this party is Blue & Silver Ball Ornaments. Decorations: You can raid your stash of ornaments, borrow from friends, or purchase some at your local dollar store. To decorate, simply arrange the ornaments in bowls or hat boxes lined with white tissue paper. Be creative! For an elegant look, arrange your ornaments in a large pedestal-type bowl, then place white pillar candles on each side. Finish the look by draping silver garland around the bottom of the candles and bowl. Appetizers: For some yummy theme related snacks, try making some beautiful wedding cookies. These cookies are from Crazy Amy's Cakes . To make your own delicious (and gorgeous) cookies, try this recipe. It's our family's favorite! Butter Cookie Ingredients: 1/2 cup butter 3/4 cup sugar 1 egg 3/4 tsp vanilla 2 cups flour 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt Preheat oven to ...